Shloka 14

Saṃsāra-mārga-vistaraḥ

Vidura’s Expanded Account of the Path

Devanagari script

तेषां हयानां यो वेगं धावतामनुधावति । स तु संसारचक्रे5स्मिं श्रक्रवत्‌ परिवर्तते

Transliteration

teṣāṃ hayānāṃ yo vegaṃ dhāvatām anudhāvati | sa tu saṃsāracakre 'smiṃ śakra-vat parivartate ||

Translation

ວິດູຣະກ່າວວ່າ: “ຜູ້ໃດທີ່ແລ່ນຕາມຄວາມໄວຂອງມ້າເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ—ໄລ່ຕາມມັນໃນຍາມທີ່ມັນພຸ່ງໄປ—ຜູ້ນັ້ນຈະຫມຸນວຽນຢູ່ໃນວົງລໍ້ແຫ່ງສັງສານນີ້ ດັ່ງພຣະສັກກະ (ອິນທຣາ) ເອງ.”

Word by Word

तेषाम्of those

हयानाम्of the horses

यःwho

वेगम्speed, momentum

धावताम्of (those) running

अनुधावतिruns after, follows in running

सःhe

तुbut, indeed

संसारचक्रेin the wheel/cycle of transmigration

अस्मिन्in this

शक्रवत्like Śakra (Indra)

परिवर्ततेturns around, revolves

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

haya (horses)

saṃsāra-cakra (wheel of worldly existence)

Śakra (Indra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Chasing after restless impulses and external momentum (symbolized by galloping horses) traps a person in repetitive worldly cycles; wisdom lies in restraint and not being dragged by speed, desire, or agitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is offering moral counsel in the aftermath of the war’s devastation, using a vivid metaphor: one who keeps pursuing the rushing ‘horses’ of worldly drive continues to revolve in saṃsāra, compared to Śakra’s ceaseless turning in the cosmic order.